A carton of Tavernello costs an average of two euros in Italian supermarkets. And a bottle with the glorious label "Grand Vin de Bordeaux"? It can be taken away for 1.66 euros in France. The controversy between French winemakers and the Carrefour supermarket chain is heating up, with Carrefour accused of offering various Bordeaux wines at ridiculously low prices during the Foire aux Vins promotional campaign. Prices this low had never been reached for a denomination that is facing an extremely delicate moment. The object of contention? A carton of 6 bottles of AOP (the equivalent of our DOC) Comte de Maignac for the beautiful price of 9.96 euros, which equals 1.66 euros per bottle. While six bottles of Château Fontana are priced at 11.82 euros, which equals 1.97 euros per bottle. Not even water costs so little.
The reaction of the producers
French producers did not take it very well and immediately took action with protests and dramatic gestures. As a demonstrative act, they entered the wine section of some Carrefour stores and replaced the bottles on the shelves with uprooted vines to denounce the absurdity of the offer. But that's not all. They also handed over an ironic certificate to the manager of Carrefour Lormont for the lowest price. In the certificate, they claimed that a price of 1.66 euros for a bottle of AOP Bordeaux effectively nullifies any remuneration for the winemaker.
Contacted by the broadcaster RMC Conso, Carrefour stated that the price of 1.66 euros per bottle is a promotional price fully financed by Maison Johanès Boubée and does not affect the remuneration of winemakers in any way. Furthermore, it was emphasized that the low-cost offers were an attempt to stop the dramatic decline in wine sales throughout France and therefore, ultimately aimed at helping winemakers.
Ground prices and uprooting on the way.
The crisis in Bordeaux, which is featured as a cover story in the April issue of Gambero Rosso, is deepening. Already on February 25th, the Société Civile Fermière Rémi Lacombe (with over 130 hectares in Médoc) won a case against wine merchants Ginestet (owned by the Merlaut family) and Excell (a subsidiary of Cordier, part of the Invivo group) for buying bulk wines between 2021 and 2022 at an average price per liter around 1.30. Thanks to the application of the EGALIM regulation (Etats Généraux de l'Alimentation), which regulates relations between merchants and suppliers of agricultural products, the judges ruled in favor of the producer. But it's just a small hint, Médoc is among the hardest-hit areas. While the high-end Bordeaux line continues to soar, the production base is in very difficult shape. The French government first focused on crisis distillation, then on a plan to uproot vineyards to rebalance supply and demand. Vineyard surface numbers speak volumes: in 2023, Bordeaux claimed 103,210 hectares of AOC (the equivalent of our DOC), according to Civb, a 4% decrease from 2022 (107,748 hectares). The loss is concentrated in Bordeaux Rouge AOC, whose vineyard has decreased to 28,335 hectares, -12% from 2022 and even -22% from the hectares in 2017. In 2024, the government plans to uproot about 8,000 hectares. With such a trend, the Bordeaux landscape risks changing drastically. Will it be enough to keep prices high?
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